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The last two years have been rough on Samsung, which makes some of the most popular smartphones in the world but hasn't managed lately to scoop up the same profits as competitor Apple, whose iPhones remain the benchmark for the industry. Part of Samsung's problem is that it faces tougher competition than just Apple. That's because Samsung devices run Google's Android mobile operating system, which is available on devices made by a host of hardware makers. The prevalence of Android handsets means Samsung is fighting on two fronts. HTC and LG, as well as low-cost handset makers Huawei, Xiaomi and Micromax, battle for the Android customers. Meanwhile, Apple is grabbing the high end of the market, as well as angling for customers who want the big-screen phones Samsung had used to differentiate itself. Samsung is trying to address the problem.

On Thursday, Samsung showed the process is ongoing.
Does anyone really want an Apple Watch?
You can look at the new Apple Watch in two ways: At the $350 price point, it is one of the best-looking, best-designed watches you can buy.

No, really, in both the digital and mechanical/analog space, the $350 Apple Watch is a steal. The other way of looking at it is this: You’re paying $350 for something that you might wear once or twice, and then quickly relegate to your interesting curios (read: junk) drawer when you realize that it’s too bulky to fit under your shirt cuff or use at the gym, and that you have to recharge it every night. At this point, I want to ask you a couple of questions.
Apple Watch 2: why the second version could be worth waiting for - News - Gadgets and Tech - The Independent.

The launch of Apple products is always met by plenty of buzz, and the company hasn’t earned the reputation for disruption and innovation that it has by accident.

But that innovation sometimes comes with a price — technologies not yet finished, or products that still have tweaks left to work out. As such, it’s often worth waiting and getting the second version of any Apple product. Their new devices tend to be exciting the first time, and right the second. One important reason to wait is the price. Apple hasn’t yet revealed how much the most expensive version of its watch will cost but it’s expected to be many, many thousands of pounds. Apple tends to get things wrong the first time around New things might be exciting, but they can also be risky. That’s doubly true the first time it launches an entirely new product category. You’ll get the stuff that Apple had to leave out Loading gallery. Apple Watch charging time, notifications revealed in new report. With Apple’s next major Apple Watch event just days away, TechCrunch has talked with multiple people who have been using the device extensively and has learned some intriguing new details about what it will be like using the device on a regular basis.

FROM EARLIER: We finally know how long the Apple Watch’s battery will last on a charge The most important revelations concern battery life.
No one wants the watch we begged Apple to make. Just 11 percent of respondees to a survey about new Apple products plan to buy an Apple Watch, according to 6,000 people quizzed by Canadian investment bank, RBC Capital Markets.

A further 24 percent said they were uncertain. Given that Apple Watch is Apple’s first major new product category since the iPad this is bad news if it carries through to the tech-buying customer base at large. While it’s far from good for Apple, however, it’s also not entirely unsurprising. The smart watch/wearables industry has remained relatively niche up until now, with other rival products like the Samsung Galaxy Gear proving to be flops in the market place.

Apple Watch release date, price and specs- The Inquirer. THE APPLE WATCH has finally arrived, but it has come with more of a whimper than a bang. 24 April marks the official launch date of the Apple Watch, but due to stock issues and high levels of demand during the pre-order phase, Apple will not be selling the watches in-store on launch day.

Instead, only those who got their order in for the device as soon as pre-orders became available will be receiving an Apple Watch on launch day.
Google Nexus 9 - Indigo Black by HTC. Twelve reasons why Nexus 6 is better than iPhone 6 Plus. Beau HD gives us 12 reasons why the Google Nexus 6 is better than the Apple iPhone 6 Plus.

Some of the specs of the Nexus 6 include a quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor with 3GB of RAM, 5.96-inch AMOLED 2560x1440 display, 13-megapixel camera sensor, front-facing stereo speakers, and Android 5.0 Lollipop. The iPhone 6 Plus features a 5.5-inch LCD 1920x1080 display, dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 8-megapixel camera sensor, and iOS 8. Instead of comparing two devices side by side, it’s time to do something different with the iPhone 6 Plus and the Nexus 6. This time around, we’re discussing each phone’s features to determine why the Nexus 6 is better than the iPhone 6 Plus. Reason #1: Resolution. Apple Watch Preview. Four years ago, I wore an iPod Nano on my wrist and I loved it.

I liked the novelty of it, the way it played music on my wrist, and could go with me anywhere. At the time, I wished the strapped-on music player, with its watch faces and little assortment of apps, could do more. And I dreamed of a day it might connect to my phone. Well, here we are.
Android 5.0 Lollipop review: The green robot grows up. Android 5.0 Lollipop has finally begun to arrive on millions of devices worldwide, in addition to the new Nexus devices that also began shipping this month.

With this upgrade, Android takes a big step to become a more mature mobile operating system, as does the entire mobile world with it. View all I've spent some time with Lollipop on the new Nexus 9 tablet, and can confirm that it's a welcome breath of fresh air for an operating system that's grown a little stale – and even generic – since we first met the last major release, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, over three years ago. New Look The most obvious changes are in aesthetics.
Review: Apple iPhone 6 Plus. Apple was in no rush to start making big-screened smartphones.

But now that the company's first phablet is here, was it worth the wait? Let's take a look, as Gizmag reviews the iPhone 6 Plus. View all The iPhone 6 Plus just might be my favorite Apple mobile device to date.
Nexus 6 vs. Nexus 5. The definition of a Nexus device seems to change every year. Okay, so they do always run the latest version of stock Android, but things like pricing, how they're sold and how high-end their specs are have fluctuated. Let's see what it means to be a Nexus phone in 2014 vs. 2013, as we compare the Motorola Nexus 6 to the LG Nexus 5. View all Size So much for subtlety. Weight. Welcome to Forbes. Apple iPad sales slumped 18% in Q1, but Cook still sees 'bright future' for platform.

By Mikey Campbell Tuesday, January 27, 2015, 05:43 pm PT (08:43 pm ET) As many industry analysts predicted, iPad sales saw a steep year-over-year decline for the first fiscal quarter of 2015, but CEO Tim Cook is optimistic and sees great potential in Apple's upcoming hardware pipeline. For the quarter ending in December, iPad shipments clocked in at 21.4 million units, down 18 percent from just over 26 million sold during the same period last year.

The sales decline spurred a 22 percent dip in year-over-year revenue, bringing in about $9 billion this year compared to 2014's $11.5 billion performance. Despite the slowdown, Cook is upbeat on future prospects for Apple's tablet lineup, noting his position gives him a clear view of the road ahead.
Nexus 6 international giveaway!
Apple. Nexus 6 Review. It used to be one of the main selling points of the Nexus line was that it was "stock Android," which really just means "Pure Google," which really just means "basic launcher and UX with out a lot of really bad manufacturer customizations.
" But the thing is, the manufacturers finally started to get better at user experience. HTC refined and scaled back Sense a bit.

Even LG is more respectable these days. (Samsung's Touchwiz is ... well, we'll leave that for another time.) Really, though, it's Motorola itself that has caused us to question what having a Nexus phones means anymore.
Motorola Nexus 6 review: Setting the tone. GSMArena team, 12 November 2014. Introduction Nexus 6 by Motorola marks a shift in market positioning for Google's smartphone lineup. Whereas the duo of LG-made devices that precede it cut back on certain features to stay attractively priced, the Nexus 6 is ready to rub shoulders with the best in the Android realm. It is no longer simply an Android reference phone, but a true Google flagship, both on paper and in person.
First HTC One M9 rumors suggest 'ultrapixels' get the boot - CNET.

The rumor mill is already churning for the HTC One M8 successor, spelling out suspected specs for the next-generation flagship smartphone from HTC. The first alleged details for the HTC One M8 successor may already be spilling online. And, spoiler alert, the handset is shaping up to be bigger and faster than today's flagship model. According to information obtained by Chinese site MyDrivers, the so-called HTC One M9 could make its debut at Mobile World Congress in March 2015.
Nexus 6 review. Nexus 6 review. About Hackers & Hacks. Cloud storage. HTC One (M9) release date, news, specs and rumors [updated: invites sent out for MWC 2015 launch]

Samsung tab s 8.4. Samsung tab s review. Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 Review. Screen matters.
Nexus 6 Review: A Delight for Big Phone Fans. As for the screen itself, the Nexus 6’s 5.96-inch QHD AMOLED display looks fantastic. With a 2560 x 1440 resolution (493 ppi), text is incredibly sharp, videos are clean and everything overall is just a pleasure to look at. Colors aren’t quite as vibrant and saturated as they are on something like a Note 4, but take nothing away from the Nexus 6; the screen is terrific, with all the rich, deep blacks typical of AMOLED displays. Out in broad daylight, it can be a challenge to see what’s onscreen (as with most phones), but otherwise it’s a delight on the eyes.
M.gadgets.ndtv. iPhone 6 Plus Review and Giveaway.

The 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus is Apple’s latest and perhaps strangest addition to its range of tablets and smartphones. Not only is the screen considerably larger than the 4.7-inch iPhone 6, the device comes with a few other perks like improved battery life and better camera performance.
Android Lollipop Review: An Immensely Satisfying Update. Nexus 6 Review: A Mixed Bag of Tricks : Prices, Specifications, Reviews. The Nexus 6 is a HUGE update from Google in more ways than one.